Hamas, the dying shark, by Prof. Norman Bailey

Hamas, the dying sharkHamas has no sponsor and is losing popular support; Israel should finish it off.

The current battle between Israel and Hamas in Gaza resembles nothing so much as the violent thrashing-about of a mortally wounded shark leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Nothing remains static for any length of time, especially in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region. That is true of countries, governments, religions, and ethnic groups; and it is also true of terrorist organizations, which have proliferated in MENA in recent decades.

To deal with such organizations as if they do not change is a sure recipe for failure. As a current example, the fearsome al-Qaida, which has understandably been focused on by the Western powers since 9/11/01, and which seemed to be proliferating throughout not just MENA but also sub-Saharan Africa and beyond, is now in full retreat, with its leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri less and less able to assert his authority.